20 Stunning Dahlia Varieties

Feast your eyes on more than a dozen varieties of these sumptuous blooms and find the perfect dahlia for your garden.

By: Felicia Feaster

Related To:

All About Dahlias

From August until frost, dahlias unfurl one of the widest-ranging palettes of flower color, forms and sizes of any plant. They bloom in nearly every flower color except true blue, and bloom size ranges from 12-inch-wide dinner plates to anemone-like forms to small button-like pompons. Dahlias are popular, long-lasting cut flowers with about 30 species among them and tens of thousands of cultivars. Dahlias make excellent cut flowers. Native to central Mexico, dahlias are easy to grow if given adequate sunlight and rich well-drained soil. These shrubby plants grow from bulb-like tuberous roots, or tubers – which often present two challenges for gardeners. The tubers, sold in garden centers and mail-order nurseries, often rot. And depending on how cold your winters get, they may require digging and storing indoors until planting time next spring. As a result many gardeners treat dahlias not as perennials, but as tender bulbs or annuals.

Dahlia 'Spectacular'

Dahlia 'Spectacular', introduced in 1967, is truly a showstopper.

Dahlia 'Mystic Dreamer'

'Mystic Dreamer' dahlias are hardy to USDA Zone 9. The pink and white blooms are backed by mahogany-black foliage.

Dahlia 'Vancouver'

'Vancouver' is a dinnerplate dahlia. Grown outside USDA hardiness zones 8 to 10, it should be dug and stored when the temperatures drop in winter.

From: Lynn Coulter

'Gallery Rembrandt' Dahlia

The Longfield Gardens Gallery Series is comprised of a range of compact dahlias named after painters and art movements, like this 'Gallery Rembrandt'.

From: Lynn Coulter

Dahlia 'Karma Sangria'

This arresting semi-cactus dahlia, 'Karma Sangria', features shades of soft yellow and pink.

'Gallery Pablo' Dahlia

These stunning 'Gallery Pablo' dahlias bloom in shades of rose, melon and yellow and their compact size makes them perfect for containers.

Dahlia 'Tommy Keith'

This pompom "fancy" dahlia cultivar, 'Tommy Keith', has been around since 1846.

Dahlia 'Pink Jupiter'

The 'Pink Jupiter' is a giant semi-cactus dahlia with a sumptuous, expressive form.

Dahlia 'Doris Day'

A 1952 stunner, dahlia 'Doris Day' is named for the squeaky-clean film star.

Dahlia 'HS Wink'

Perky 'HS Wink' boasts lilac pink iridescent petals and is ideal for cut flower arrangements.

Dahlia 'Maarten Zwaan'

Growers and connoisseurs show off every imaginable variety of their preferred flower at Chelsea. 'Maarten Zwaan' is a white variety with a yellow-green center that has a shape similar to a waterlily.

Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff'

'Bishop of Llandaff' is a vividly colored fuchsia heirloom dahlia that dates from 1928.

Dahlia 'Magenta Star'

'Magenta Star' is a deep magenta pink dahlia that is beautifully complemented by its dark foliage.

Dahlia 'Edge of Gold'

Dahlia 'Edge of Gold' is an old-fashioned favorite that is great for a cutting garden.

Dahlia 'Ballego's Glory'

Exquisite color radiates from sassy 'Ballego's Glory'.

Dahlia 'Mystery Day'

These superstars of the late-summer garden have a dual flower personality. Some cultures think they represent dignity and eternal commitment, but others believe them to mean treachery and sterility. 'Mystery Day' is one of the cultivars grown by Cal Lemke at the University of Oklahoma Department of Botany and Microbiology.

Dahlia 'Edinburgh'

Dahlia 'Edinburgh' is an heirloom—or heritage—in British parlance from 1950.

Dahlia 'Thomas Edison'

'Thomas Edison' is an oldie, introduced in the 1940s, so you know it’s a winner because it’s still around.

Dahlia ‘Spartacus’

Every garden needs a wow moment, and no one ever accused a dahlia of being shy. There are oodles of varieties, but the biggest-blooming cultivars have flowers the size of dinner plates. ‘Spartacus’, shown here, generally reaches nine inches across.

Dahlia 'Kennemerland'

Dahlia 'Kennemerland' is a semi cactus dahlia with a lovely fragrance.